XXXI International Mineral Processing Congress 2024 Proceedings/Washington, DC/Sep 29–Oct 3 715
Flocculation 4293
To explore the settling behaviour of FPTs particles, floc-
culation and sedimentation experiments were conducted
using 60 g/tds dosage of both anionic and cationic poly-
acrylamide polymers. Additionally, a natural sedimentation
test was employed for comparison purposes. The objective
was to achieve efficient and cost-effective solid–liquid sepa-
ration by identifying the optimal flocculant that delivers
excellent performance in terms of maximizing water recov-
ery, enhancing settling rate and minimizing water turbidity.
The outcomes are depicted in Figure 3, revealing a
clear dependency of settling velocity on the type of floc-
culant used for FPTs flocculation. Notably, anionic poly-
acrylamides exhibited superior settling velocities and water
recoveries compared to their cationic counterparts. This
finding is in accordance with previous studies conducted
using anionic and cationic polyacrylamides (Bahmani-
Ghaedi et al., 2022 Fan et al., 2020 Liang et al., 2021 Liu
et al., 2020 Zhang et al., 2024).
As illustrated in Figure 4, the final settling heights of
the FPTs slurry with the four tested flocculants displayed
relatively slight variations, ranging from 1.68 to 1.75 cm
for APAMs and 2.02 to 2.05 cm for CPAMs. Conversely,
in the case of natural settling, the settling velocity is at its
minimum value, leading to a final settling height of sedi-
ments at 2.9 cm.
The effectiveness of each flocculant in terms of water
recovery, initial settling rate, water turbidity and other
parameters is summarized in Table 4. The results indicate
that all tested flocculants allowed acceptable water recov-
eries, ranging from 78.88% to 83.20%, in comparison
to natural sedimentation (blank test), which yielded only
69.02% water recovery. Regarding the turbidity of the
recycled water, both anionic and cationic polyacrylamides
resulted in low water turbidity, with the cationic polyacryl-
amide Zetag 8167 achieving the lowest value at 1.87± 0.07
NTU. This observation aligns with previous studies indi-
cating that cationic flocculants are associated with low tur-
bidity (Sabah &Cengiz, 2004). The anionic flocculants,
Magnafloc 345 and Magnafloc 5250, allowed initial set-
tling rates of 13.31 and 13.67 cm/min, respectively, signifi-
cantly increasing the ISR of the FPTs during sedimentation
by over 8 times compared to natural settling (1.59 cm/
min). In contrast, the cationic flocculants, Magnafloc 504
and Zetag 8167, yielded initial settling rates of 12.39 and
12.18 cm/min, respectively, enhancing the ISR by more
than 7 times compared to the ISR of natural settling.
Based on the effectiveness of water recovery, the four
tested flocculants can be ranked as follows: Magnafloc
5250 Magnafloc 345 Zetag 8167 Magnafloc 504.
Both anionic polyacrylamides (PAMs) have a high molecu-
lar weight, with the main distinction lying in their charge
density. Specifically, Magnafloc 5250 exhibits a lower
Figure 3. Zeta potential study of FPTs sample
Flocculation 4293
To explore the settling behaviour of FPTs particles, floc-
culation and sedimentation experiments were conducted
using 60 g/tds dosage of both anionic and cationic poly-
acrylamide polymers. Additionally, a natural sedimentation
test was employed for comparison purposes. The objective
was to achieve efficient and cost-effective solid–liquid sepa-
ration by identifying the optimal flocculant that delivers
excellent performance in terms of maximizing water recov-
ery, enhancing settling rate and minimizing water turbidity.
The outcomes are depicted in Figure 3, revealing a
clear dependency of settling velocity on the type of floc-
culant used for FPTs flocculation. Notably, anionic poly-
acrylamides exhibited superior settling velocities and water
recoveries compared to their cationic counterparts. This
finding is in accordance with previous studies conducted
using anionic and cationic polyacrylamides (Bahmani-
Ghaedi et al., 2022 Fan et al., 2020 Liang et al., 2021 Liu
et al., 2020 Zhang et al., 2024).
As illustrated in Figure 4, the final settling heights of
the FPTs slurry with the four tested flocculants displayed
relatively slight variations, ranging from 1.68 to 1.75 cm
for APAMs and 2.02 to 2.05 cm for CPAMs. Conversely,
in the case of natural settling, the settling velocity is at its
minimum value, leading to a final settling height of sedi-
ments at 2.9 cm.
The effectiveness of each flocculant in terms of water
recovery, initial settling rate, water turbidity and other
parameters is summarized in Table 4. The results indicate
that all tested flocculants allowed acceptable water recov-
eries, ranging from 78.88% to 83.20%, in comparison
to natural sedimentation (blank test), which yielded only
69.02% water recovery. Regarding the turbidity of the
recycled water, both anionic and cationic polyacrylamides
resulted in low water turbidity, with the cationic polyacryl-
amide Zetag 8167 achieving the lowest value at 1.87± 0.07
NTU. This observation aligns with previous studies indi-
cating that cationic flocculants are associated with low tur-
bidity (Sabah &Cengiz, 2004). The anionic flocculants,
Magnafloc 345 and Magnafloc 5250, allowed initial set-
tling rates of 13.31 and 13.67 cm/min, respectively, signifi-
cantly increasing the ISR of the FPTs during sedimentation
by over 8 times compared to natural settling (1.59 cm/
min). In contrast, the cationic flocculants, Magnafloc 504
and Zetag 8167, yielded initial settling rates of 12.39 and
12.18 cm/min, respectively, enhancing the ISR by more
than 7 times compared to the ISR of natural settling.
Based on the effectiveness of water recovery, the four
tested flocculants can be ranked as follows: Magnafloc
5250 Magnafloc 345 Zetag 8167 Magnafloc 504.
Both anionic polyacrylamides (PAMs) have a high molecu-
lar weight, with the main distinction lying in their charge
density. Specifically, Magnafloc 5250 exhibits a lower
Figure 3. Zeta potential study of FPTs sample